I didn't play all that much Far Cry 5, but I can sort of guess what happened based off what happened in this game. You play as ``The Captain of Security'', a nicely generic and vague person that enables you to create whoever you like. You're aboard a train and, as with all Far Cry games, it quickly goes pear-shaped and you're left legging it for your life.
A gang of fluoro-coloured bikers has taken over Hope County, led by The Twins, two women with more studs and tattoos than I've had hot dinners. The story is pretty generic and predictable, but that's what this series is known for.
The first thing that will strike you about this game is just how pretty it is. If you're playing on the right equipment, this game looks immense. On the PS4, besides some obvious pop, it's a feast for the eyes. The fluoro pinks and purples look terrific.
The bread and butter of a Far Cry game is exploring the world, fighting enemies, surviving in the wild and conquering all that there is to be conquered. Nothing different here as you'll be taking outposts and shooting bears from the start. Something a little different is that there are RPG elements sprinkled throughout - outposts can be scavenged/escalated, so you can redo them and gain extra rewards. Enemies are levelled, so early on the bikers won't put up much of a fight, but later on they'll be firing missiles at you.
The characters are over the top, as always, and much like previous games, I found most of them tiring. Your guns for hire are nut cases for the most part, although a special shout out to the dog and Horatio, the boar. At least they can't talk.
Ubisoft seems to have been caught in two minds with this game. It's set not long after the end of Far Cry 5 which, I can only assume, ends in a nuclear explosion. It seems farcical that there's almost no damage or fallout from it - all that seems to have happened is everything has turned purple and pink.
It's no comparison to the Fallout series, which I think paints a more dire and realistic picture of what might happen.
All up though, New Dawn is a blast to play. The Expeditions mode where you travel outside the map to genuinely cool locations is a nice addition, although perhaps a little underdeveloped and, ultimately, under utilised.
The game plays well and looks great - highly recommended for those looking for a bit of mindless fun.
